Assassin | Toppling Goliath Brewing Company

0 characters.
We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters. Awesome. Thanks for the review!

In English, explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.

Notes / Commercial Description:
After endless hours of scorching in heat, brewing in turmoil, fermenting in angst, the Assassin’s journey has just begun. In the shadow of the temple, he lies in wait, maturing his plot to perfection. He emerges merciless, dominated by darkness, his bite laced with the charred remnants of his victims. No man dares to cross his path. They will forever sleep with one eye open, in fear of the Assassin’s hot kiss of death.

User Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by kdmcguire10:

More User Reviews:

4.55/5 rDev -2.4%

22oz bomber with yellow wax from the 2013 release, generously shared by lunarbrew with our tasting group today, 6.18.2013. We drank this after the Hunahpu's which we opened up first.

Aroma: Sweet straight up whiskey combined with tons and tons of sweet milk chocolate, a good bit of bitter dark chocolate and coffee accompanied by a little bit of marshmallow sweetness. It smells very sweet and boozy. (4.5)

Colour: Nothing special for a big barrel-aged stout- very very dark brown, almost opaque and black, illuminating dark cola brown. The head comes out as a sexy 1cm mocha head that sticks around for a good while until it slowly dissipates into nothingness, leaving a placid abyss. When it was poured into my glass, it looked super thick coming out of the bottle, thicker than anything I've seen- including Ten Fidy. (4.5)

Flavour: Wow! This beer definitely packs tons and tons of sweet whiskey and chocolate. I swear I'm having chocolate fondue, if you could somehow put your beer on a fondue fork and dip it in chocolate. It's incredible how the subtle vanilla sweetness, ostensibly from the barrel, combines with the chocolate sweetness. It's like marshmallows dipped in chocolate fondue. Normally, this would be bad news for any beer, but no, it was also balanced out with a good bit of espresso bitterness. There is a little bit of dark fruits, but not a whole lot, and there is a small woody oak presence. But this beer is ruled by the chocolate and vanilla oak. A perfect dessert beer. (4.5)

Mouthfeel: This is definitely full bodied, viscous and chewy. Incredible, one of the thickest beers I've ever had. Well-carbonated and I cannot detect much booze at all in this beer. When it goes down, it goes down silky smooth without any heat. It was like liquid brownies.. doesn't get a whole lot better than this. (5)

Overall: This is probably a top 5 barrel-aged imperial stout (without additions like coffee or cherry or whatever) for me. It is up there with BCBS- in fact, the best way I would put it is that this beer is what Goose Island would make if they made a Bourbon County Brand Chocolate Double Cream Stout. So thick, viscous and explosively sweet with complex flavours that complement each other really well. It's worth trying at least once, don't kill yourself getting this beer- its just beer- but be happy if you get the chance to try it! (4.5)

[2013 Final Score: 4.55]

Re-review: of the 2014 gold wax vintage, poured into a Toppling Goliath gold snifter 8/22/2014. This simply isn't as good as last year's. As a whole, the bourbon character is far too strong here as there is very little of the chocolatey fudge goodness that characterized last year's yellow wax version. The nose has a paint thinner, nail polish scent going which was very surprising as last year's had essentially chocolate marshmallows on the nose, which is not to be found here. The mouthfeel is still there in spades, but I would highly recommend aging this for a while. The whiskey almost entirely covers up the normally excellent base stout and I honestly feel that the PVW+TG hype is carrying this beer further than it should be conceivably going based on how it is tasting right now. Still, don't get me wrong- this is a thick imperial stout with a strong whiskey character (think Fifteen with a thick mouthfeel and an acetone-like nose) and it may very well improve significantly with a year on it.

APPEARANCE: A thick, opaque black pour yields a small, foamy, dark mocha head. Pitch black body but with higher levels of carbonation evident. Head fades to a faint wisp and ring. A slight swirly wisp and ring remain leaving falling dots of lacing down the glass. Really black body, but a foamy head and too much carbonation for the style.

TASTE: Oak, whisky, coconut and vanilla up front. More oak and whisky through the middle into the swallow. A big, lingering finish of whisky, coconut, lots of oak, milk chocolate and caramel sweetness lingers on the palate. Very sweet with lots of wood flavors, but very little roasted malt and bitterness as balance. There's a lot of good sweetness here, but not enough other components to provide balance.

PALATE: Medium body and higher levels of carbonation. Very creamy smooth on the palate, slick and silky, goes down smooth and finishes very sticky. A bit of heat lingers on the palate. A touch light and too much carbonation, but creamy and silky.

OVERALL: Lighter bodied than the other two and very, very sweet. Not quite cloying per se, but definitely too sweet and not enough bitterness as balance. This one definitely suffers from BA Dark Lord syndrome; good in small quantities, but tough to handle otherwise. The fact that people only ever drink this beer in small servings might explain why it gets such inflated scores as well. In the end, this is an interesting creation and I'm very glad to have gotten the chance to try it, but it falls well, well short of the magic that is Morning Delight and KBBS. I would like to try future incarnations of this beer, as an adjustment here or there might really make a world of difference. Thanks again cparles. This was one of the funnest sets we've ever done.

M: Chewy chocolate. Exactly how a BA Stout should feel. One of the best representations of the style

O: Almost exactly what I was expecting from this beer. Thick, dark, roasty and chocolatey. Very gracious of BeersAndBears to share.

Re-Review 2014 Vintage-Gold Wax

A: The most midnight of blacks. Using the term "motor oil" as a descriptor when it pours has never been more accurate. Absolutely coats the glass. Small, dark mocha/brown head which settles quickly to frothy wisps

First, this is a very good beer. However, this has to be one of the most over hyped and improperly rated beers on this site in my opinion.

Pours dark black oil with no head. And, most of the reviews point that fact out. Yet, they still give a score of 4.5 and such! I don't get it it! Any other beer that has no head would not get and "outstanding plus" visual score.

Moreover, the nose is good but not wonderful. Several reviews point out weaknesses and shortcomings in the nose which is, indeed, chocolate, vanilla, roasted grains and sweet coffee. It's a nice nose but perhaps not as assertive as others on the same playing field.

Mouth feel is low carb. Clearly not outstanding. Yet, the beer is given 4s, 4.5s and more, despite being somewhat of a flat sweet stout.

Taste is boozy, chocolaty, vanilla, coffee and thick sweet malt. Good - very good, and with a nice sweet bitter coffee finish.

This is a very good good beer. This is a very good stout. It is not particularly well made and certainly not an exemplary example of the style.

Thick, sweet and hard to get do not equal an outstanding beer. Good yes; outstanding or more? No.

Great debt of gratitude to the always-generous mista, who picked me up a bottle after I declined an offer to go the release with him. Yes, I'm an idiot. 22 oz. bottle from 2013, drippy yellow wax, split with my wife. Given my encounters with Kentucky Brunch & Mornin' Delight, expectations are...well. If the beer doesn't kiss me, I'll be disappointed.

Peel away the nicely hardened wax & the beer emerges black, with a good dose of carbonation. Nose warms my cockles: too-thick brownie batter where some wag subbed in a 1/2 cup of whiskey for the Minnesota tap water listed in the recipe. Love. Ly.

Assassin coats the throat somewhere between 5W30 and 20W50. The thickness is remarkable, with a mouthfeel like a heavier version of BCS. Richer than anything liquid has any right to be. Favors the barrel with strong whiskey notes up front, backed by more brownie batter, tons of vanilla, heavy-sweet malts, with roast looking a little lost in the crowd. Crazy drinkable, just because it's so damn good.

Not only a kiss; I got tongue. Anybody who trades away a bottle of this stuff needs to have their head examined, because it's one of the best. Absolutely amazing beer...& the third-best TG stout I've had. That's borderline unbelieveable.

Thanks to Ronald for this little slice of heaven. After many consecutive attempts to grab
hold of this one had fallen through, good ol' Ron shows up to my house, grinning ear to
ear with a bottle to share. What a guy!

Black-hole blackness in a glass; very near vacuum capacity with a slow-forming, deep and
rich leather head that perches on top. Deep tan in color, taking it's time receding. The
opening whiff is a thing of beauty - warming wafts of bourbon slapped atop a base of
semisweet fudge, nutty oak, faint char, dried & roasted coffee, & tepid vanillin.

Let me start off by saying that my expectations for this were already quite high... Not
only due to the crazy hype that is has sparked since its original release last year, or the
various amounts of consistently high reviews across all beer rating mediums from nearly
everyone who has tasted it - but thanks to own inability to safely lock down a bottle.

Cacao nib richness nibbles at the tongue up front with a battle between the bitter &
overly roasted bean aspect with the slightly creamy & sweet underotnes. Decisively
charred malts & toasty barrel notes add an inherent touch of spiciness in the back. A
knockout of there ever was one. Simply a masterpiece on all levels.

Soft hints of whiskey & bourbon booziness trounce there way in, adding not only an
openness of warmth, but another layer of complexity in this magnificent beast.

Hardly is there a flaw to be found; perhaps just a touch more sweetness could play
a better balancing game in the final moments, but I'm clearing nitpicking. It's definitely
rare to find beers crafted this well nowadays, at least from a percentage standpoint.
Don't pass this one up if you get a chance - you will not regret it.

Impenetrable black pour, with a wispy tan head that receded rather quickly to a thin ringlet; minimal lacing. Pretty basic aroma for a stout, roasty dark malts, toasted grains, notes of bourbon-soaked oak and neutral alcohol; just about no coffee at all. Taste was similar, pretty oaky, roasty dark malts, toasted pumpernickel, slight herbal (or maybe astringent?) bitterness, thin bourbon notes, semi-sweet chocolate, molasses, maybe some dried prunes in there, and again, very little coffee, if any at all, with a stale solventy aftertaste. Body was on the fuller side of medium, but really no more than that, mouthfeel was a little chalky and unbalanced, carbonation was appropriately moderate. A pretty average stout overall. But I guess it's a whale because it's from Bumble****, Iowa.

Appearance: black bodied beer with 1 finger of medium brown head. Head quickly drops to a thin ring around the glass. A gentle swirl brings back about the original amount of head, maybe even a little more.

Smell: The nose is a little bit whiskey forward, but for the most part its well balanced with the stout. Chocolate, roasty and sweet malts, oak barrel, hint of black licorice and maybe some dark fruit notes.

Taste: Moderately sweet stout that not overly roasty balanced nicely with barrel notes. Fudge and Chocolate, whiskey, oak, coconut, molasses, light roast, hint of dark fruits and leather. Great complexity! The beer seems to meld together nicely in the finish. This beer really opens up nicely as it warms up.

Mouthfeel: high end of a medium bodied beer with moderate cabonation. This beer has very nice carbonation levels that keeps the big flavors of this beer from becoming too overwhelming. The beer feels silky and a little oily too. This beer isnt boozey at anytime. Really smooth drinking barrel aged imperial stout.

Overall: This beer reminds me of the first time I had Bourbon County Brand Stout back in 2008. This beer is clicking on all cylinders! Its got a lot of complex flavors, smell great, well balanced in both nose and taste and it has a fantastic mouthfeel. This is my second Toppling Goliath stout that I have drank and this small brewery in Decorah, Iowa knows how to brew world class beers!

2016 purple wax vintage. Pour is incredible- as thick as a stout could be. Brownie batter on the nose, smell is fantastic. Taste does not follow... boozy and sweet, not overwhelming either way. Bit of roastiness on this- dare I say almost smokey? Big barrel presence. No indication of any stone fruit taste as others have mentioned. Mouthfeel is molasses, thick as mud. Will coat your mouth as it did your glass. Overall happy to have secured a bottle of this. You can enjoy this now, but this one is built to last. Anxious to try it in a couple years down the road. World class offering from Toppling Goliath.

Nearly black, though very heavy and substantial looking in the glass. Shiny and oily, with a small brown head that leaves dots of stick.

Monstrous, rich, and lovely aroma of chocolate, bourbon character (without the heat or sting), a bit of vanilla, some raisin, and cake batter. Excellent, and, unsurprisingly, better and better as it warmed.

The flavor is similar to the aroma. Massive amounts of dark chocolate character, bourbon (wood, vanilla, dark fruit) without the accompanying alcohol harshness. This is smooth as silk and the flavors blend together marvelously. This is lacking a big roasted malt note, but it sweet, complex, and incredibly flavorful.

Poured from bomber into tulip glass. Let it warm up for a good 45 minutes before drinking.

A- black with an dark brown head, looks like chocolate cake with a mousse topping. Delicious. Head dissipates rather quickly into nothing which is pretty normal for a beer with this high ABV.

S- Tons of alcohol, sweet molasses, vanilla and oak. Then coffee seeps in and smooths out the scent. It was kind of a roller coaster ride with the smell. After the coffee, dark fruit and chocolate come in on the end.

T - Follows the nose almost exactly. Tons of bourbon but the coffee is a lot smoother in the taste than the smell. It coats the mouth like ice coffee does but it tastes like hot coffee (if that makes sense). Dark chocolate comes through on the end and finished real nice.

M- a little hot, but overall extremely smooth. Very thick as well.

O- A fantastic beer, I was expecting a little more coffee, but the smoothness of the coffee rivals BCBCS. I think with a year on this beer the alcohol will tone down and it will get even better.

Taste: Chocolate, whiskey, and a little soy sauce-like flavor. Burnt caramel, vanilla and a touch of booze too. A little spice. Slightly oxidized, but in a way that plays decently well with the spice quality. A little sweet. No coffee whatsoever. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Full bodied and under carbonated. Has a nice rye-like kick on tongue that makes up for the under-carbonation. Finishes very dry, almost chalky -- like a less dry The Count. 4/5

Overall: This is a really good beer that just did not deliver out of the bottle when aged. I have had this one fresher, and it was much better. The 2012 vintage bottles had some issues (e.g., the brew is filled so high up in the bottle that it leaks if not refrigerated), so I encourage folks to give Toppling Goliath the benefit of the doubt on this one and seek out the 2013 vintage that was just released. I will review the new release when I get my hands on a bottle.

2014 (gold wax) vintage. pours like motor oil and drinks about the same, but in the best way. Really rich and full of flavor. Definite bottle variation between the two bottles we had side-by-side. One bottle just didn't have as much barrel character and felt a little subdued relative to the other, but both were stellar.

S: Bourbon is represented well, heavy on the vanilla but with less toasted oak, fitting nicely with deep dark fruit. The most distinctive part of the smell is the cakey roasted malt, suggesting decadence. No alcohol is detected.

T: Begins sweet, with dark chocolate and muted bourbon spirit. Acidity is detectable but restrained into the middle, where syrupy dark fruit and aromatic wood are discovered in transition. The finish shows a whiff of ethyl alcohol, establishing a boundary that must be stepped over only to find an obnoxious thread of scorched popcorn waiting to linger on the palate.

M: Thick viscosity, syrupy and chewy on the palate, with low carbonation.

D/O: This bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout represents a fair attempt at the style, and is endearing in its missteps. Perhaps it sets the bar too high with its impressive smell, but unfortunately some of the key features in the nose do not match up with corresponding flavor qualities. Textures are also decadent and rewarding, probably helping to elevate the features of the flavor profile that would otherwise seem disjunct and very average by comparison. It serves best in the capacity of dessert beer, where the sweetness and moderate spirit influence are not found to be out of place.

Pours absolutely jet black, very small khaki colored head. Completly coats the glass, sticks to everything it touches. This beer smells amazing. Taste is mainly chocolate, some caramel, toffee, and fudge. Tastes almost like a brownie in beer form. Really lives up to the hype.

A - Dark and thick with very little to no carbonation. Coats the glass and stains it quite a bit. No lacing no carbonation dark as night.(4.5)

S - Smell was lots of chocolate and that classic pappy smell that you get in Remy, Rare, others. It's not as much of a marshmallowy smell as I thought it would be. VB Assassin has a definite edge in this category. Lots of chocolate with some roast and hints of vanilla and bourbon. (4.5)

T - Taste follows the nose, except for the fact of how overwhelmingly sweet this is. This is a bottle that is tough to down yourself(even though its a bomber to share). It's almost cloyingly sweet with loads of chocolate sugary, bourbon, vanilla booze. It wasn't as boozy as I have heard which leads me to believe theres quite a bit of variation. Overall, cloyingly sweet and leaves an unpleasant feeling in the mouth. It's tasty don't get me wrong, but doesn't stack up to TG's other stouts. MD, KBBS, VB Assassin all edge this out by a mile. (3.75)

M - Thick creamy, lingers forever and coats the mouth. After I got through the first half of the bottle it became easier to get through the rest. Started tasting slightly better as it got to 65ish degrees. (4.0)

O - Overall, this was a letdown. It's good, but not world class. It was too sweet. I had a much easier time downing 20+ ounces of MD then this and you would think the Pappy barrels would have mellowed out some of the sweetness. I have another bottle and will either see how it ages and revisit in a year or trade for BA Abraxas or DB Huna which are far superior in my eyes.

Still a solid effort and a solid beer.

A friend of mine said his tasted and resembled nail polish remover which further leads me to the conclusion that there is great variation between the barrels or tops and bottoms of these barrels.

Re-review from Abraxas day.

This bottle wasn't quite as sweet but definitely still didn't stand up to the ratings and the recent ratings of gold wax. This almost reminded me of a barleywine this time, not as sweet, still thick and creamy. Just not on par with their other stouts. Not even in the same stratosphere, I think hype is getting people here. I really don't see the 5's and 4.9's and where the are coming from and I am a very generous rater.

Echo GRG1313 below. This is a good beer, but so, so overhyped. To be honest, it is an average really good imperial stout. For those that are looking to "sell the farm" to get one of these, I would not go out of my way at all to acquire this.
Taste very good, but a Bit thin.
Nice vanilla and chocolate notes, some heat, minor bite, nothing extraordinary....actually very ordinary.
Overall, solid stout...nothing outstanding.